For the World we Dream
by Dying Lights
Summary: They met in middle school. But now, they have taken seperate paths, keeping their past concealed. Even the two of them, who are like night and day, the two most connected, broke apart. "It's the only way I know to keep you safe." he remembers his brother say. All he wants is a peaceful life. But he knows the way to peace is a long one. [Tokyo Ghoul AU]
1. 1: Back then

Seijuro had no idea he had a younger brother, and only found out when he entered Teikou.

In a strange twist of fate, his brother was there, a boy that went unnoticed by most.

It made him feel jealous.

He could smell it on the boy; he was like him but, at the same time, unlike him.

The azure eyed boy walked upon the thin line that separated the day and night; the world of humans and the realm of ghouls.

He didn't realize how he was drawn to the other boy, not until he stood right in front of him. He couldn't hold back the words he spoke.

"Hi. Who are you?" he said, and immediately regretted it. So childish of him.

"I'm Tetsuya." The boy replied. "Akashi Tetsuya. And you?"

Seijuro was momentarily at a lost. But then he replied. "I'm Seijuro."

 _ **(next)**_

It took a while for Seijuro to reveal his name. Tetsuya hanged out a long with his friends as well, and so he forbade them for calling him anything close to 'Akashi', out of fear.

It took him a while to manage and persuade his father reveal the truth.

Tetsuya was his brother from a different woman.

He didn't want to know details, but he wasn't angry at his father or anything. In fact, he was relieved. Happy. He finally was given a sense of normality; a little brother.

Akashi Masaomi had explained to his son, the best way he could. He did care for Shiori, Seijuro's mother. However, that marriage was arranged by his father (and Seijuro's grandfather) in hopes to put an end to his son's affair with a human. Shiori was understanding of Masaomi's feelings for Kuroko Haruka, and looked away in his affair with her, and sincerely wished them a better fate than the one that had befallen her childhood love.

And of course, he remembered his mother talking about Haruka whenever she wanted to remind him how she wanted him to act. _"Not all humans are bad, Seijuro."_ she said, again and again. _"Yes, some hunt as down, and most fear us… It's natural to be wary of someone who's stronger than you. That is a law of nature, and all living creatures follow nature's commandments. But that doesn't mean humans and ghouls can't co-exist. It's just… Both sides are too proud to let go."_

" _Mother, do you know someone like that? Someone who'd be friends with you, even when they learn you're a ghoul?"_

Then, Shiori was going to giggle. _"I knew a few people like that, actually. Rei and Kiku, and of course, Haruka as well. Alas, life is such a cruel mistress."_

Then, she'd let out a deep sigh and stare at her son's face. Evergreen eyes meeting scarlet, and the question he always felt haunting him ever since the day she died.

" _Promise me Seijuro. You'll make human friends like mother did, alright?"_

And the young redhead would smile and nod happily.

"Seijuro-kun, you don't have to treat me like a brother." Kuroko said one day, but he secretly liked the attention he was given by Seijuro and his friends.

And it was Kise who, at that one moment, blew up everything without realizing, or intending to. "Akashi-cchi is just like that~" and at that, he earned a cold gaze from everyone, minus Tetsuya, who was confused, and Seijuro, who was, for the first and last time of his life, afraid, afraid of what the azure eyed boy was going to think of him.

"It's my name." he finally said. "Akashi Seijuro."

"Does that make Seijuro-kun… Seijuro-nii?"

Seijuro allowed himself a small smile. "Yes."

 _ **(change)**_

It was a surprise when Tetsuya had asked him if he could spend one evening with him, just walking around town. Seijuro accepted, and one cold, December evening, they chose it as their 'special day'. The days were still short, and it was almost ideal to go after school.

The two boys held hands lovingly and, if someone saw them from afar, could assume they were lovers instead of siblings.

They truly cared for each other, and their friends could see it. Tetsuya was glad life brought him a brother like Seijuro, and Seijuro, in turn, that vowed to himself he'd do anything for the younger. And they chattered happily, until another man stood in front of them.

"Well, well, if it isn't Masaomi's brats." He sneered.

"Tetsuya." Seijuro addressed his younger brother, "Murasakibara is a few blocks back. Go to him."

"But what about you?" the azure-eyed boy protested.

"I can defend myself." He promised. "Now go!"

Tetsuya ran behind and Seijuro took a battle stance.

The other laughed. "It's nice to see you have spirit, kid! But it won't save you!" he shouted, releasing his kagune.

Seijuro smiled.

 _ **(red)**_

All Tetsuya saw was red. The red that was on the ground but mostly, the red that stained Seijuro's pristine uniform. The uniform Teikou's students wore. Teikou, the high school where ghouls mingled with humans. Teikou, the place he found his brother. Teikou, the place he made friends with others. Teikou, where he found home.

And he felt all slipped away from his open palm.

That moment, he hated the colour red, more than anything.

"Tetsuya." He heard the redhead speak, but without turning to face him. "I told you I'd protect you, didn't I?"

"Look at me, Seijuro!" he yelled, and when the other turned, he could have sworn his left eye shone in the colour of gold for a moment.

"He wanted to kill us, Tetsuya. To kill you." He replied. "I couldn't let him."

He fell silent.

"You need to cut your ties with me, Tetsuya." Seijuro started. "You're in danger. Please. Just pretend we're not brothers for a while, okay? Change your name, if you have to. And don't follow me after the school year ends, alright?"

"But, Seijuro-" he started, but was cut off.

"No but, Testuya. What you need to understand… We need you get stronger. _You_ need to get stronger. I won't be able to always be there for you. I wish I could, but that's impossible. If one day I'm gone-"

"Don't say that!"

The redhead shot a glare. "If one day I'm gone, and I will be, since nothing lasts forever… I want you to be able to fight. To protect those you care for. To live on. I know you can do that, Tetsuya. Promise me you will." The eldest of the two pleaded, a behavior so out of character for him.

Reluctantly, Tetsuya nodded. "I will try."

"You won't _try_ , you _will_ do it."

And for the first time in his life, he heard his beloved brother use those words he hated so much. The words he himself used, when he talked to their father, bitterness evident to his tone.

"As you wish, _Akashi-sama._ "

It made Seijuro feel horrible. What kind of person had he started to become?

 _ **(gone)**_

The following spring, Akashi Seijuro moved to Kyoto, while Kuroko Tetsuya joined Seirin, a ghoul investigation team.

 _ **(chapter end)**_

I originally wrote this for Akakuro week day 7, but in my mind it bloomed into something huge. And when I say huge, I mean it. I have some drafts on future events (Kuroko meeting Kagami, Kagami meeting Akashi, etc), and some other plans on the parts that this fic is different from the original Tokyo Ghoul universe.

I wasn't satisfied with the original version (the one posted on tumblr and dA), one being less than 1k words (I managed to get it to 1.2k) and a few other parts.

In this one, the one-eyed ghoul is Kuroko. One, because as the main character in his series, he's probably more worthy of it. Two, well, almost all fics I've found have Akashi as the one-eyed ghoul. And I _will_ have Akashi acquire heterochromia, in one of the most dramatic, ideal way. And I've said enough about that.

The ghouls in this story are: the Generation of Miracles (plus Kuroko and Momoi) and the Rakuzan starters. Suggestions for their kagune types and names will be appreciated.

Next update in two weeks at most.

Stay awesome!


	2. 2: Dreaming

" _Sei-nii, I'm not sure about it..." the teal-haired boy muttered._ __

" _Don't worry, Tetsuya. All's going to go well. Remember what your mother told you?"_ __

_He smiled. "She used to say 'Testuya, you're proof humans and ghouls can get along, don't forget that'." he repeated. "What did your mother tell you?"_ __

_The redhead smiled. "She used to say, 'Promise me you'll make human friends, Seijuro'. I can never forget her words."_ __

_The two boys smiled at each other, almost too similar in appearance for not to be related. But in that blissful moment, they were surrounded by a threatening, faceless group, and Tetsuya couldn't make out if they were humans or ghouls that seemed so hell-bent on ending them both._ __

" _Stay behind me, Tetsuya." he heard the other say, his voice stone-cold, completely devoid of any emotion. "I will protect you."_ __

_It wasn't more than seconds that that bright sunny day was turned in a scarlet inferno, filled with screams, blood and gore. The echoes of breaking bones and tearing flesh echoed in his ears, accompanied by a mantra that made no sense._ __

" _You brought that to yourselves... You brought that to yourselves..."_ __

_And when he searched around for the source of the mindless chanting, he had spotted the other, same built as his, the pure white uniform was now tainted crimson. The other had turned to face him as well, completely covered in blood and gore, and his eyes, oh, his eyes, were once more that terrifying combination of ruby and ebony._ __

" _Can you see now?" he mocked. "What monsters we all are? The monster that I am, Te~tsu~ya~"_

_And he screamed._ __

"Kuroko-kun? Are you alright?" he heard someone talk to him, while he tried to adjust himself on his bed. 

"I'm fine, Mo- I mean, Riko-san." he replied. 

"You look feverish." she observed. 

"I had a bad dream." he confessed. 

"Care to share?" she asked. "Maybe it'll help you if you get it out of your chest." 

"Maybe you're right." 

"So, what was it?" 

"I dreamt of someone important to me." 

"But you said they were important to you... Did something bad happen to them in your dream?" 

Kuroko nodded. 

"Oh, I'm sure they'll be fine, Kuroko-kun." she tried to cheer him up. 

"What happened? In your dream, I mean." she insisted. "If you want to share, of course." she was quick to add. 

"My friend..." he muttered. "He lost his mind. He tried protecting me, but...!" he focused on suppressing his tears, hands trembling. "He attacked me for some reason, and I...!" he couldn't handle it anymore. "I killed him. I killed the most important person in my life! The one I owe everything!" 

Riko wanted badly to console the azure-eyed boy but knew not how. Instead, he embraced him on a hug, and muttered _'It's okay, it's only a dream'_ over and over. 

Riko didn't leave his side that night, even after the other fell asleep, worried he might have more nightmares during that night.

She heard him mutter six names over and over, cheerfully, and she guessed those were the names of his dearest friends. 

But then there was someone called Sei, and Kuroko kept on thanking him, pleading, and asking for his forgiveness.

 **(Relief)**

"Thank you again, Kiyoshi-san." he said, accepting the vanilla milkshake he was offered. 

"There's nothing to thank me for, Kuroko-kun." the other replied. "After all, that's why I'm here, remember?" he smiled. "If anything, I'm worried about you." 

"Worried, why?" the shorter of the two asked. 

"You eat too little." he observed. "You only drink your milkshakes, nothing more." 

"I don't have much of an appetite." 

"So I was told." 

His surprise was barely hidden from his tone of words, even though his expression was unreadable, as always. "Akashi-kun said that?" 

"Ah! So that was his name!" he exclaimed. 

Tetsuya felt the need to roll his eyes. 

"He's a good friend of yours, right, Kuroko-kun?" he asked, not expecting any answer. 

Kuroko nodded. "I owe a lot to Akashi-kun. I could have been dead if he weren't for him." 

Kiyoshi Teppei paid the outmost attention to his words. "And now, you keep yourself to the company of investigators." he concluded. "I suppose he trained you at that, as well?" 

"Kiyoshi-san, you date Riko-san as well." 

Kiyoshi laughed mirthfully. "Riko is a nice girl. But sometimes I feel I'm putting her into too much danger." 

"No investigator bothers with the legendary _Iron Heart_." Kuroko replied. "Not when some claim he disappeared." 

Kiyoshi seemed to be blushing. "It's just a title, Kuroko-kun. I'm not that fond to be referred to that. Do you like being called _Phantom_ , Kuroko-kun?" 

Kuroko pondered over it for a moment. "I don't. But it's better to be called invisible than to be called a beast. Even if you are a monster." 

Kiyoshi could say nothing to the younger male, as he walked away.

 **(Loneliness)**

Of course Tetsuya missed them. They weren't just friends. They were family. Every single one of them was important to him, an irreplaceable member of their dysfunctional, yet loving, family. Always strict Midorima-kun, lethargic Murasakibara-kun, rowdy Aomine-kun, or cheerful Kise-kun, even kind and observant Momoi-san.

And of course, there was _him_. They might have been only a month apart, but he acted like the father figure to all, always taking the mature decisions, doing what should be done.

 _He_ had taken the decision to each one take a different path. Half of them (Momoi-san, Aomine-kun, Midorima-kun and himself) had remained in Tokyo, Kise-kun moved to Yokohama, Murasakibara-kun went to Akita, while _he_ moved to Kyoto, promising to visit the rest frequently, assisting them to their grand plan.

And as always, _he_ assigned to _himself_ the hardest task of all. It scared him to no end. He feared for _his_ well-being. He knew well, the other's mentality was a fragile thing. After all, he had witnessed it once, seeing a monster at his friend's face, a cruel, ruthless person he refused to acknowledge. He suspected it was the monster that suggested to not even calling _him_ by the name he used to.

 _He_ told them to pretend they didn't know each other. And though he could comprehend the idea behind it, he hated it. It was such a cruel thought, the need to pretend they were strangers, everything they built over the six years they spent together in both middle school and high school, all for the sake of _his_ grand plan.

 _Akashi-kun…. No, Sei-nii. Please. Come back. Please be the kind brother you used to be._

 **(Chapter End)**

I promised myself each chapter will be at least 1k words without my added notes. I kind of struggled a bit with that, but I think it came out well.

I wanted to mention it before but I forgot. It's about Akashi's father. Yes, I know that in canon he's harsh and all, but here, I need a bit of a different approach. He's strict to both his sons (mostly Seijuro), but he's developed some pretty self-destructive tendencies after the deaths of Shiori and Haruka. I really can't wait to write some of him.

Kiyoshi makes his appearance! His background in this story? He helps ghouls who can't get by themselves, or wish to not hunt. And Akashi being Akashi, he managed to contact him and 'asked' him to 'assist' Tetsuya whenever he needed. Which means mostly nag him to eat more than he does.

Speaking of which, I'm not that cruel to deny Kuroko of his vanilla milkshakes or Murasakibara from his snacks completely. Well, I can be cruel, but not _that_ cruel.

And Kuroko had a momentary encounter with Bokushi… But Akashi will most often call him Tetsuya, regardless if he's Oreshi or Bokushi, mostly because they're siblings, and, in a large part of the story, whenever these two interact, there won't be a reason for them to hide their connection.


	3. Extra: Mother's Day

_**Extra: Mother's Day**_

It was the first Mother's day Tetsuya and Seijuro were spending together. However, their mother's day celebration was going to be different than the way other kids did it.

There were no handmade breakfasts, no handpicked flowers, no wishing cards, no laughs, and no smiles. Their friends excused themselves as they planned to spend the day with their own mothers, apologizing for leaving them behind. Seijuro had persuaded them that the two intended to spend the day together, and Kuroko was really thankful for it.

Seijuro had lost his mother at the age of ten to a disease no one had a clue about, not even the doctors. Losing his mother at such a tender age was surely painful, but what pained the redhead most was the effect it had on his father. Young Seijuro had lost his mother, but he felt he was going to lose his father, as well. He rarely saw him after that, and when he did, the man usually turned away, as if trying to deny the boy's existence.

Tetsuya had lost his mother at the age of twelve, only two years past, to a hit-and-run. To his horror, it happened in front of his very eyes. Haruka had gallantly, pushing him away, allowing herself to be crushed. He couldn't bare the people asking him all the time if he was coping with it. Of course he didn't, what kid could easily deal with losing the pillar of their lives? Sometimes, adults could deal with it either, and seeing his father, he decided not to show emotion anymore.

That first time of spending Mother's day together, they planned on visiting their mothers. Each held a pair of carnations in hand, tenderly holding, fearful of losing even a second petal of them.

It was surprising to discover their mothers' graves stood right next to each other. Was it coincidence or not, they could not tell at that time. Only that, when they arrived, someone was there, leaving flowers for them.

Curious as they were, they agreed with a silent nod to walk closer, and take a better look at the stranger's face.

"I wish you were both here with me right now." they heard a familiar voice. "It scares me, I was never good with others. How can I raise two sons all by myself?"

"Tetsuya reminds me of you, Haruka. He's always so calm and polite. Sometimes, I wonder why his presence diminishes with each passing day. Sometimes forget he's there, and when he stands before me, I see you in your face. One day, I almost called him Haru-chan, much like I called you. I think he's scared of me because of that."

He sat down on the ground. "And Seijuro is much like you, Shiori. He's strong-willed and stubborn, and he often stares at me, silently judging, much like you did from time to time. If I didn't know you, I'd thought you taught him to do that out of spite. But I know well you'd never do that. You were too kind for your own good sometimes. I wish that, wherever you are now, Rei and Kiku are with you. You deserve to be with the people you love."

He stood up again. "Both of you, you changed my life in the most wonderful of ways. I loved you both dearly. In different ways, yes, but you're important to me. Seijuro and Tetsuya remind me of you. Sometimes in gives me strength to go on, but others, it only brings pain." And with that, he left the opposite way he came.

The boys emerged from their hiding place, and stood in front of the graves. Both had a small bouquet of primrose, and placed a single carnation in each, accompanying the bouquets. Separately, they talked to their mothers about their lives, their friends, everything. Then, they traded places, leaving to the other's mother the other flower.

The words Seijuro addressed to Kuroko Haruka and the words Tetsuya directed to Akashi Shiori were the same.

 _Thank you for bringing my brother to life._

 **(End.)**

Happy Mother's Day! Well, for almost half the world not anymore, but still. Even for me, it's a few minutes after midnight while I'm adding the finishing touches to it. I know I _could_ write this earlier, but I wasn't even home. I made my mother breakfast and left. And I may or may not have caught a cold.

Anyways, this little special takes place in their second year in Teikou Middle school (remember that this story features a Teikou High as well) and after it was revealed to Kuroko that Akashi is his brother a few months back. (School year in Japan starts in March, or was it April?) Surprisingly, both visit their mothers' graves in Mother's day. And their father is responsible for the arrangement, but you'd probably saw that coming.

Choosing the flowers these three leave was a tough choice. And because internet is your friend, I did my research, if the results were accurate or not, I don't know. It was Japanese meaning of flowers, yeah.

Carnations (カーネーション _,_ _Kānēshon_ ), especially the red ones, are often given to mothers on Mother's day. Primrose (桜草, _Sakurasō_ ) symbolizes desperation, and Masaomi is really desperate in various situations and in different ways each. I promise you'll see more of him.

And I think I can finally say one or two things about _Rei and Kiku._ Kiku is Haruka's childhood love. Rei is his sister. I may reveal more of their story another time. 


	4. 3: Beginnings for all

_It's said that, the team known as "Generation of Miracles" is separated, under their leader's orders. They take different paths, but if he summons, they assemble. After all, his word is absolute._

 _ **(The**_ _ **Jötunn**_ _ **)**_

"Murasakibara Atsushi, right?" Masako Araki, leader of the Yosen team, asked.

The purple-haired giant nodded.

"What brings you here?"

"Dunno..." he muttered. "Aka-chin suggested it, I went along with it."

Mutters erupted around. _Just who is that Aka-chin person anyways?_

"I'm guessing it's your former Captain." Araki suggested.

She received another nod for confirmation.

"While you're here, you'll follow our rules."

"Such a chore..." he groaned. "But I guess I'll do it."

 _ **(The**_ _ **Arkab**_ _ **)**_

"I'm Midorima Shintarou." the tall, green-haired male introduced himself.

"Well, welcome to Shuutoku." his new Captain greeted. "Just don't expect special treatment because you were part of the Teikou elite."

"I don't expect any form of special treatment." he replied, no annoyance or similar emotion evident in his words or expression. "There one thing you should know in advance though."

"And that is...?"

"If situation arises... We assemble at Akashi's call. He's our true Captain."

 _ **(The Kitsune)**_

"I'm Kise Ryota!" the cheerful blond introduced himself excitedly. "I'm one of Teikou's elite and my birthday is-" his words were cut by a swift kick on the back of his head. Kise inwardly admired the man's ability in that kick, its strength and precision. Maybe it could be used as a killer move, and suddenly, the blond felt relieved that this guy was one of the Doves rather than a serial killer on the loose.

 _Maybe he was a bit_ too _violent for a serial killer,_ he added in his thoughts. _A boxing ring should be more fitting,_ and he chuckled at his thoughts.

"Oi! What's so funny?"

Kise chuckled again. "Nothing... Sempai."

"Is there anything you want to add to that silly introduction of yours? If it's not something serious, I'll kick you!" he warned.

"Only that if Akashi-cchi summons, we come to his side."

Everyone silently agreed, that _Akashi-cchi_ was the blonde's former Captain, and _we_ meant his old group. And, as it was natural, everyone took a more hostile approach to the newcomer.

Kise smiled one of his irresistible smiles and spoke again. "If it weren't for Akashi-cchi, none of us could do what they can. I wouldn't be here today. Who knows, maybe I'd been killed already?"

Most wondered what Kise meant with those words, and if he was exaggerating.

The golden-eyed male didn't, and those words were meant to be true, in more ways than simply one.

 _ **(The Panther)**_

Imayoshi Shoichi, captain of the Tōō group, eyed carefully the lazy blue-haired man. "So, you said you were _asked_ to join?"

"If you don't want me, I can leave." he suggested. "All the better for me."

An eerie smile formed at the bespectacled male. "Ah, there's no need for that, Aomine Daiki-kun."

Aomine's gaze focused on the other. "How do you know my name?" he demanded.

"I thought you wanted to join Tōō, right, Aomine-kun?" he repeated.

He fell silent for a few moments. "What do you ask of me?"

"The only thing you're required to do is fight when you're asked. Other than that, you're quite free to do as you please." was the reply he received.

"Ugh, fine. I guess I can do that much." he said in a mocking tone.

Imayoshi was more than pleased. He found someone truly _interesting._

 _ **(The Temptress)**_

"Dai-chan!" a familiar voice called over him.

"Oh, shut it, Satsuki!" he complained. "Why are you yelling at me this early in the morning?"

"Why didn't you tell me you're joining Tōō? Did Akashi-kun ask you that?" she questioned, her woman's intuition strong as ever.

"What is it to you?"

"Well, Akashi-kun asked me to keep an eye on you, Dai-chan!" she cheered. "So I'll be joining you in Tōō as well!" she declared.

Aomine cursed under his breath. Momoi Satsuki devoted herself to seeing Tetsuya happy, and Tetsuya, in return, wanted to see Akashi happy. If Akashi asked anything of Tetsuya, he'd try to do it, and if Tetsuya asked something from her, she'd gladly follow through it.

He was screwed.

 _ **(Start)**_

The clacking noise of the pawns moving on the board echoed in the abandoned room, accompanied by footsteps. It was a solo game, and the youth who fought against himself in this form of a mock battle, deeply concentrated in it, as though his very life was hanging in that one game. Dissatisfied, he knocks down the black king, moving away from the board, and towards the window.

 _Tetsuya was the first to settle down._ He reminded himself. _I made sure myself, I was present, after all. If he needs anything, Aomine and Midorima will be close-by. Murasakibara should have reached Akita by now, and Kise should have already been in Yokohama. Momoi is most likely with Aomine. The first stage has been cleared._

Red eyes focused on the full moon.

 _Tomorrow, I'll be leaving for Kyoto. Who knows how long that'll take?_

 **(chapter end)**

This chapter isn't as long as I wanted it to be. *sighs* But it's midnight, I feel the need to sleep an eternity and half, but I promise you the next chapter will be much longer than the quota I give myself.

This chapter takes place a few days after the ''break up'' of the Miracles, when they each take their own way (so it's more or less the same time with Chapter 2, Kuroko bonds easily with others), but what most people don't know is that their bond is too strong to be severed. And of course, the Kiseki are loyal to Akashi, reasons explored much later. (Because this story doesn't follow cannon events in general from both anime, but I guess you expected that?)

I think I've settled in their ''names'', but they may or may not be changed later on.

 _ **Jötunn:**_ Murasakibara. Okay, I can't resist some references. Those familiar with Norse mythology know they're giants. And if someone wonders why I prefered that one instead of ''giant sth'', let me remind you of _Thor's Hammer._

 _ **Arkab:**_ Midorima. Arkab is the name of one of the stars in the constelation of Sagittarius. It's name means "achilles tendon". I was thinking of picking a star from Cancer, since that's Midorima's star sign, but then again, Sagittarius is _the Archer_ , after all.

 _ **Kitsune:**_ Kise. He's got such a playful personality, and to my not so good understanding of Eastern myth, Kitsune are playful and mischievious, and that's sort of the way I picture Kise.

 _ **Panther:**_ Aomine. Yay for me being uncreative.

 _ **Temptress:**_ Momoi. But I'm sure you saw that coming.

Imayoshi knows more than he lets on.

Next chapter will focus on Akashi (yay me!)


	5. 4: His First Sin

" _Seijuro."_ the voice was heard was nothing compared to what it used to sound. That man was but a shell of his former self. _"Why are you doing this? Why are you breaking this family apart?"_ his voice was trembling, and someone could think tears streamed from his red eyes.

Seijuro scoffed. _"I broke our family apart? Me? Wasn't it you who kept from everyone secret about having a bastard son? For more than a decade of my life I had no idea I had a brother!"_

" _Don't speak of Tetsuya like that!"_

" _No!_ You _don't dare use his name like that! You kept me away from my own brother; you hid his very existence from me! I used to think you cared about Mother, but it seems I was the only one! There's no person you truly care for!"_ the younger redhead accused. _"Only your obsessions matter to you, nothing more! Not Matou Shiori, not Kuroko Haruka, and definitely not me or Tetsuya!"_ It was so rare for Seijuro to show such strong emotion, anger and frustration and despair molded into one, and that scared and angered Akashi Masaomi.

" _Don't you dare say that!"_ and one could see that his clouded judgment told him to strike against his son. However, he was too slow in contrast to the teenager, who had managed to strike and pin the elder to a wall with the help of his kagune, the twin tails piercing him through the shoulders and keeping him in position. _"You think money and influence can get you anything really important? Tetsuya never had a father,_ I _never had a father! Your name is all you care for, being safe and not hunted down like the beast that you are!"_

" _And will you do that, Seijuro? Will you put an end to the so-called beast that is your father?"_

" _No."_ he replied, his words an amalgam of guilt and malice. _"Not only because you don't deserve the peaceful slumber death promises, but also, because I'm a worse beast than you are, and can't bring myself to guarantee you that wish of yours."_

The older Akashi only stared in confusion on his older son's actions. He could _see_ something terrifying on his eyes, something he didn't want to acknowledge. He knew Seijuro was overprotective to whatever or whoever he cared for. Even _Yukimaru_ from all things, he was ready to defend the silver-haired mare with his life.

" _You should know this. Don't intervene with our lives anymore. Neither I nor Tetsuya need a father, much less someone like you. Tetsuya has me, and he has our friends as well. He doesn't need anyone else. Tetsuya and I both lost our fathers alongside with our mothers. You stopped caring about everything when Haruka died. We don't need a father now we've managed to go on for so long without one."_

He released him, and turned to leave. _"One more thing. I'll be moving to Kyoto for a while, reclaiming what you were too scared to do. Don't even think of approaching Tetsuya while I'm gone, or send anyone after me. It won't end well. I can guarantee you that."_ he warned as he walked away, leaving him to ponder over all the times in his life that he might have failed as a father to Seijuro.

Three months had passed since then. For three months now, he observed the lives of ghouls in Kyoto. In a sense, it was the exact opposite than Tokyo, yet so much alike. Tokyo was a city with many potential dangers for humans; Kyoto was dangerous for ghouls. It was because three of the most known powerful ghouls of the country, fighting from dusk to dawn for who will be in control, who could have the whole city under their sphere of influence, and hunting grounds for their followers, as well as themselves.

One course of action to pursue was to join one of the three leaders and rise through their ranks. However, there were two problems with that plan. One, the three leaders were of equal strength and wary of newcomers, making it almost impossible to pinpoint the side most probable to 'win' this thing. Second came Seijuro's own pride. He could never lower his head to anyone who looked down on others, and that was the impression he had formed so far of them.

There was a third problem to concern himself with, and that was hunting. Much like Tetsuya (though for entirely different reasons), Seijuro could restrain his urge to feed. However, and unlike his younger brother, it was a result of constant practice rather than a naturally small appetite. The longest he had managed to go without eight months the longest, and that was only after the massacre that was the Blood Night.

Poor Tetsuya ended up puking twice what he had consumed. It was a rather pleasurable _event_ for Aomine and Murasakibara, though. The former got to fight to no end, and Murasakibara got to eat to his heart's content.

 _The Blood Night,_ otherwise known as the _Purging of Aeons,_ happened when Seijuro was only fifteen. Doves from across the globe travelled to Japan, with the intention of bringing down the strongest known ghouls in the country. Many lives on both sides were lost, of course. In the _Purging_ , Murasakibara lost his little sisters, Kise lost his father, Midorima lost his mother, Momoi and Aomine lost Momoi's grandmother, the one who took care of them both for so long, and those were only the people he knew personally.

It was a complete _massacre._

To the pleading of his friends, Seijuro gave in and led them to an all-out counterattack. It was one of those moments when the main character of a movie feels being consumed by dark thoughts and desires, and even though they have the power to cast them away, but they don't, instead, they allow themselves to sink into it, drifting away to the promises of power, and being in control.

That was the _Blood Night_ , orchestrated by a group of only seven ghouls that came to be known as _Divine Beasts._ Seven ghouls who, if they were set on working together, they could bring the country, no, the whole world, to ruins.

 _Good thing they didn't, right?_

"Hey, you! Over there!"

The person yelling (to him, if he had to make a guess) brought him back to the present and out of the 'daydreaming' and focus on the current situation, focusing on the stranger in front of him.

And ran.

Even at that distance, he could tell the other was a ghoul. The best course of action he thought of was provoking the other into releasing his kagune and, after learning of its type, follow one of his set strategies that had formed and mastered during his years at Teikou.

It didn't take long before the redhead had ran a safe distance away, the stranger barely running behind, and he was attacked.

 _Ukaku-type then, huh._ He mused, pleasantly surprised at the given challenge. _It'd be really bad if it wasn't me, but I guess I have to do it._ He concluded, picking up the pace and running faster.

The plan was simple. Run in circles until the other was exhausted. Then, he could go for a clean kill, merciful and effortless.

 _Don't run after me, Tetsuya! Reserve your stamina!_ He allowed himself a moment to fondly look back at the memory, before starting running, making sure the other continued running behind him and trying to land a hit on him.

Of course it took longer than his mock battles with his half-brother, but this was a kill-and-live situation. Seijuro could run around for a full day if he so desired, but he was sure (or hoped he was right) the other couldn't afford it.

So it happened, in less than a quarter of an hour, and Akashi deemed it was time. Swiftly, he ran the full circle, positioning himself right behind his pursuer, plunging a knife through him.

The attacker's eyes were wide open. "A Quinque….? But aren't you a ghoul…? How…? Why….?" he screamed.

"That, I am." Seijuro replied. "However, I desire to keep my arrival to Kyoto a secret."

"Just _who_ exactly are you?"

"I am _Akashi_ , and that's all you need to know."

" _Raijou_ will get you, Akashi." the dying ghoul warned him, but the scarlet-eyed man didn't heed that warning at all. As far as he was concerned, Akashi Seijuro never did mistakes. All his actions were thoroughly planned, carefully executed.

Although, the things others saw as _mistakes,_ he called them sins.

His first sin was orchestrating the Blood Night.

His second sin was failing his brother and their friends.

His third sin was three months later, when he lost control of his hunger and consumed one of his own.

 **(chapter end)**

Phew, finally! After personal frustration on story building (please keep in mind this AU is _loosely_ based on TG), a broken keyboard, problems with my laptop keyboard, an idea for a dark Kuroko-centric AU and an Akashi-centric Skyrim AU working in my head, this is finally finished (2 am by the time it gets uploaded).

I told you I'd write a bit of Masaomi, and I plan on expanding/developing his character more in the future.

This time, there's a bit of background story, and no, I didn't create the events of Blood Night (please excuse the bad name, I had no idea what else to call it) just to fill/pass my personal quota. It'll play a huge role mostly with Aomine's and Murasakibara's interactions with Kagami, and what Kagami thinks of ghouls later on.

I still have a hard time figuring out what kagune types to give my babies in general, but I've decided on Kuroko and Akashi so far. Kuroko is Ukaku-type, since a) Ukaku-type users tend to have lower stamina and b) strength lies in speed, and so does an Ignite Pass Kai. Akashi as a Bikaku-type seemed fitting, with Akashi being a basketball player balanced in offensive and defensive terms, and that's pretty much like a Bikaku, I guess.

Quick note to avoid confusion: The term _Generation of Miracles/Kiseki no Sedai_ will refer to the Kiseki members (Kuroko and Momoi included, of course) as _humans_ and among the groups they've joined. _Divine Beasts_ refers to the seven of them as ghouls, but the term is rarely mentioned besides the Purging of Aeons/Blood Night. Which are two different days these happening, but still mashed up into one event to go down in history.

I hope you liked it, if you got confused somewhere or you noticed something wrong (typos, bad use of grammar, etc) let me know. Good night!


	6. 5: I don't mind you knowing

" _We assemble at Akashi's call. He's, after all, our true Captain."_

Takao Kazunari had his full attention on the man speaking those words, the cogs in his brain running at full speed. Lean, tall, with unusual, pine green hair, he was sure he was supposed to remember that person from somewhere. More familiar than simple a member from the notorious Generation of Miracles, a group that came as the elite of elites from Teikou, familiar in a sense most dreaded.

Midorima Shintarou was one to hold quite a few quirks. A tsundere and, despite his youth, a superstitious person. Someone who valued people who try their best regardless of special traits or skills, despite being extremely talented himself.

He wanted to prove himself an equal to skill to him. After all, both were trained to fight, to kill. He might have not been trained in an Academy and graduate as one of the best, but in his eyes, his trainer (one of his uncles), was one of the best.

He was surprised to see him constantly practicing with his weapon of choice, a bow and arrow. Even that is weird about him, he thought with a smile.

"Something wrong?" he heard him ask.

"Nothing, Midorima Shintarou-kun~" he gave a cheerful reply.

"How do you know my name?" he inquired.

This time, he couldn't contain his laughter. "You're one of the _Generation of Miracles_ , are you not? It wouldn't surprise me if you guys were known across the nation and beyond."

He turned to gaze away from his black haired teammate, seemingly flustered by the compliment. "Perhaps it is as you say. I sincerely hope it is not though."

Such statement left Takao perplexed. Why would someone not want to be known for his skill and ability? Was it that being talented in that field was a burden that made them feel constantly threatened? Was that what high expectations did to you?

Such thoughts accompanied him to deep slumber, promising at first, slowly turning into a darker, twisted thing.

It was the hushed tones that alerted him, that this wasn't a simple dream anymore. He couldn't see clearly, most things were a blur, as if trying to see through blurry glass.

"I believe there'll be a counterattack." he heard a familiar voice.

 _Uncle?_

"Don't be silly! There's no one strong or dangerous enough to lead a successful counterattack! If anything, more will fall!"

"It won't hurt if we prepare for the worst!" his uncle argued.

Ah. So that's what it is.

Takao, being a trainee back then, stayed close to his uncle whenever he was called to action. His uncle protested, of course, but he was stubborn and wanted to be present even for what was later called Purging of Aeons.

It was a mistake.

Such a terrible mistake.

It shook Takao to the core. No mercy was shown. The strength in numbers was surprisingly working. So many bodies littered the streets; it could be definitely scarring to most. He couldn't possibly forget that night, and, in the end, he didn't want to. It served as a reminder in his head. A reminder of the vicious circle humans and ghouls were entrapped into, a vicious circle left unbroken until the end of time.  
 _  
(He remembers seeing a female ghoul holding a baby in her arms, trying to make it stop crying. They weren't allowed to live. The mother –she must have been the mother- was ready to give up her life if it meant for her child to live. She was begging to let the baby live. The baby was killed after the fake promise to the woman to let it continue living. Such a cruel fate to bear.)_

He didn't, and couldn't, forget that night.

But the following night, that he was glad he had forgotten.

 _ **"But you know, you really should have prepared for a counterattack."**_

Takao turned his head to the direction of the new voice. It was certainly unknown, but he could pinpoint the emotions coming out of it. Malice. Hatred. Anger. The voice belonged to a boy, he could tell, despite not being able to see clear. He was accompanied by five, no; six more people, and, if he had to guess, he'd say they all were in their teens. Each one was framed by a different colour, and the boy who spoke was red.

 _"Who decided we stand lower than you?"_ he heard the yellow blur speak.

 _"Who thought our loved ones wouldn't be missed?"_ the blue blur added, hugging tightly a pink blur.

 _"Who said we won't grieve for them?"_ the gigantic purple blur yelled.

The blur he almost missed stood behind the red blur. "Nii-sama, maybe we shouldn't…"

The red blur seemed to share its head, but it was the green blur who spoke.

 **"Every action has consequences, and they need to face the consequences of their actions now."**

What happened next was simply chaos. The group of seven who he couldn't recognize, ghouls, he could now see what they were, charged forwards, the purple blur moving lethargically, the pink and aquamarine blur just defending themselves, the yellow blur being ordered by the red one (their leader, he guessed,) while the blue and green ones battled remorseless and fiercely.

It was a true bloodbath; a terrifying sight to witness. People he thought he knew, he was familiar with, or people close enough to be family; they lay on the ground, unbreathing.

The giant moved and grabbed someone's arm, munching on it lazily.

"We need to get going." the red blur commanded. "There are more around. Don't let your guard down." he instructed. "You wanted to do this; I agreed. Let's go."

He witnessed the teen ghouls exiting the room and moving downwards, more screams, more pain, more fear, and more agony reaching his ears, a proof of their gruesome work.

Takao awoke without realizing, drenched in sweat.

 **(avoidance)**

It had been two weeks since Takao started avoiding Midorima. It had been almost half a year since their Miracle joined them, and three months since the strange dream started, repeating itself on most nights. He got a strange feeling around the green-haired man. He gave an air for familiarity for an unknown reason. It brought him uneasiness.

Until he couldn't deal with it, and one evening, he approached the other, asking the question he was afraid to for a while.

"Did you lose someone you cared for on the _Blood Night_?"

The taller male merely glanced at him, turning to gaze towards the horizon. "I lost my mother during the _Purge_."

 _The Purge?_ he wondered at the sound of the foreign term. Indeed, it had a malicious echo in it, but chose to ignore it, and allow his teammate to continue.

"I hate this thing." Midorima replied. "A hateful war, a circle that goes on and on, never stopping, never ending. I hate having to pretend to be something I'm not, but life never is so kind. You need to show a mask to everyone for them to accept you. You can't understand."

Takao focused on his eyes, and, without having to _see_ anything different in his eyes, the same shade of green as his hair.

The next words came out without thinking them.

" _You're a ghoul."_

"And? It doesn't gross you? Aren't you going to tell everyone about it?"

"What I wonder about most is why you're here. Killing your own kind." he voiced. "Are you cannibalizing?"

"No!" he exclaimed. "Gods, no. That's disgusting."

"I want to understand why you're doing this." he confessed.

"It's not possible for you to." he stated.

"I can try."

Midorima sighed. "It's a complicated thing, sometimes even I feel I don't understand it. There's practically no coordinated authority in ghoul society, this is what we're trying to do."

" _We?"_

"The ones called _Divine Beasts._ " he answered, still unsure why he was telling the human all these things. "That's what other call us, right?"

Takao's eyes widened in surprise. "No way! You're one of them? The Divine Beasts? Like, for real? You definitely don't look like the part, Shin-chan!"

Midorima glared at him. "First don't yell like that. Do you honestly don't want to let others know? I doubt it." he scolded.

"I'm sorry, Shin-chan." he apologised.

"I guess I can forgive you- Wait, why did you just call me?"

"Don't you like it?"

"It sounds unnecessarily friendly, Takao."

"That was the point of it." he laughed, much to the annoyance of the green-haired ghoul.

 **(chapter end)**

Another chapter done! Phew, I'm so proud of myself! Well, this story will be kind of pairing-free. But there will be platonic ships (because platonic ships are amazing). And I thought I'd give you some MidoTaka before resuming back to the Red or Black storylines.

 _Black line_ focuses on Kuroko and Seirin and is the main storyline. _Red line_ focuses on Akashi and, soon enough, Rakuzan, and is the secondary storyline. I have many plans for both, but that doesn't mean you won't get snippets of what happens with the rest.

Also, I'm sorry, but I can't be sure when the next update will be, since my laptop's charger is done for, and I can't tell if I'll be able to get it fixed or forced to replace it.


	7. 6: A Woman's Intuition

If you asked Momoi Satsuki, she'd tell you her family was weird.

Not that it was a bad thing. On the contrary, that individuality, the uniqueness in character and personality, made it all more interesting, more fun to be with them. She had lost her real family early on in her life, so it wasn't that hard for her to find her new family in her Teiko teammates. More so when we was the only girl in a group of six boys. She had a feeling it was probably because of Dai-chan she was part of their group, and, as far as her woman's intuition went, she was probably right.

Her mother died giving birth to her and she couldn't remember her father at all. She lived with her grandmother, who she adored the pink-haired girl and cared for her deeply. In her early elementary years, she met Aomine Daiki, a rascal who lived on the streets. It took her a few months to know him better and, after deciding that little Dai-chan deserved better, she asked her grandma to adopt the tanned boy as well. The elderly woman accepted, on the term that Daiki helped around the house, which the boy gladly accepted.

Teiko's ghoul population never got past the 20% of the student body, so was only natural for her Dai-chan, who now insisted she called him Aomine-kun instead, be drawn to a group of others like them.

In their little family, she thought of herself as the only daughter, the only feminine charm. Ki-chan was like an over-active, cheerful cousin. Midorin was the strict uncle. Aomine-kun was the rowdy youngest son that picked fights with anyone. And Mukkun was the lazy, childish one, with a fascination for snacks and sweets, he reminded her of a certain cute-looking high school boy from a shoujo manga with similar tastes in food.

In Akashi-kun, she saw a father. Even though the redhead was the same age as the rest of them, he was the one acting in the most mature of ways. He made sure no one went too overboard, sometimes being even over-protective, seemingly controlling of their lives. No one seemed to mind though. Akashi-kun had decided to shoulder the burden of being the responsible one, so the rest of them enjoy their days innocently and without worries.

Tetsu-kun, when he joined their little family, became the mother figure. He was gentle and kind, and Satsuki couldn't help but develop somewhat of a crush on him. And the boy, having lost his mother, who raised him the best way she could, felt he had found a family within the group.

The revelation that Akashi-kun, who reminded her of the father she never knew, was Tetsu-kun's brother from a different mother, and older by only one and half month, it was shocking, of course. But it didn't matter, and she tried to bother them as least possible when they were together, allowing them to catch up for all the years they were apart.

Her family was the only thing she had left when her grandmother was slaughtered, along with others. She couldn't bear to remember those days. Even seeing Midorin, crying for the loved ones that were forcefully taken away from his life, seeing him the usually composed tsundere wanting to pursue the violent path of revenge... It scared her to no end.

She remembers Tetsu-kun trying to act as the voice of reason, that no, this was the wrong thing to do, that with retaliating like that, humans will think they were right on what they thought of ghouls, but it was in vain. It was not only Aomine-kun and Ki-chan, but even Mukkun and Midorin, who was the one who mostly tried to persuade Akashi-kun.

 _(She knew that, in general, he'd listen to his brother than his best friend. Apart this one time.)_

At first, she thought that, this particular, gory event, was going to slowly break their family apart, only to prove the exact opposite. They grew closer, and even the smallest thing someone was troubled with, it'd be shared with someone on their group.

So, it was only natural to be shocked when Akashi-kun announced his decision to let each one take on a different path. She admitted she was scared. All those years they had spent together couldn't be so easily discarded, right? However, the redhead had explained, it was to make sure they could go on living without drawing attention. It was for their own safety, and asked her, on his behalf, and Tetsuya's as well, to keep an eye on Aomine.

She gladly accepted.

It was strange, but despite the distance, the bonds they had forged seemed unbreakable, and she was happy about it. Not to mention, with separating from each other, they all got the chance to come closer to others, to come closer to humans.

Tōō became a second family after following Daiki there. Not from the very beginning, like it was with her friends, but close enough. They too, were individuals brought together by chance and circumstance, but had forged their own bonds. At first, she felt like they were intruding, but soon enough, she started opening up to the others. What Tetsu-kun had told her, his dream of coexistence, she could feel it as well.

However, she couldn't ignore her woman's intuition. The winds were changing. Tragedy never failed to find them, and probably, the peaceful days they were living were soon to come to an end.

 **(chapter end)**

Finally I finished an update! I didn't want to jump back to one of the main plotlines yet, so you get another filler-ish chapter, this time from Momoi's point of view! Don't worry though! Some really serious things will happen next chapter! I promise!

Also, if you want to see something more of a dark!Kuroko, check my other story, _Like Chess Pieces._ Thank you for reading and liking my stories! It means a lot!


	8. 7: An Irresistibe Offer

"You _have_ got to be kidding me. This can't _possibly_ be the work of one person alone!"

"It seems so."

"But how can it be? It's not that everyone attacked is _weak._ "

The three men continued to bicker with one another. They were completely different in both manners and appearance. The first who spoke was shorter than his two 'companions', with short, blond hair, round eyes, and an athletic built most track runners would kill for.

The second one was taller, with a leaner physique, and well-groomed black hair, reaching to his chin in length, having a more feminine charm.

The last one was taller than the three, with tanned skin and muscles fitted to a wrestler or a weightlifter. He seemed to be the one less patient of all.

"Let's look at the facts, shall we?" the raven-haired suggested. "It started a year ago. It was stab wounds at first, bodies otherwise intact, but the situation changed six months back."

"I don't remember ever allowing cannibalism within our ranks." the tanned one pointed out.

"We don't. Whoever that person is, if it is one person, they're outsiders." he got a quick reply.

"Whoever that person is, some got into calling him _red death*_ or something along those lines."

"I heard that, too! Apparently, it's an extremely violent one. Who knows where they came from..."

That moment, the three of them tensed, sensing an unwanted _guest_ nearby.

And it was, the person stepping closer to them, wearing a white uniform, bloodstained, harmonizing with his naturally red hair, similar to a white rose tainted crimson.

From closer inspection, one could identify said uniform as one of the notorious Teiko High in Tokyo, known for its "Special Course", even more famed by the recently graduated prodigies, the so-called Generation of Miracles. Could it be, this man was one of them? No one was courageous -or foolish- enough to start a bloodbath and challenge three of the five Kings, ghouls inferior in power only to the Divine Beasts.

The unknown man took out a dagger -a Quinque, the three of them could tell- throwing it towards their direction with precise aim and the intent to kill. The force and speed it received was abnormally high for an ordinary human, but then again, this one was a Teiko graduate, who knows, maybe he was one of their carefully crafted monsters.

They managed to dodge, of course, and spared a glance to the man, who seemingly did a foolish move at throwing his only protection and weapon against them. What they expected to see was fear, however, they met with something completely different: a content smirk.

At the same time, the man walked closer to them, confident, fearless. Standing only a short distance away, he opened his mouth, words directly to them, red eyes filled with glee.

" _This will indeed prove promising."_

It came as a surprise to see the redhead release a Kagune, a three-way, tail-shaped Bikaku with sharp, pointing edges resembling the mythical sky rulers, the dragons. And with one, swift and unexpected move, he initiated his attack _._

It was a fierce, 3-on-1 battle, momentarily shifting to a 4-way one, no one willing to give up, no one weak enough to be killed on that way, that easy.

 **They knew, but left it unspoken, that the stranger who wore all that red similar to a cloak, was a true _Beast._**

They'd laugh at the irony that, one of the strongest of their kind, had managed, not only to mingle with human society, but also, shelter himself to what seemed to be an impenetrable fortress. However, it was clearly not the moment of it. They could feel they were losing their ground, even after managing to damage his left eye, maybe even permanently.

He stood before them once, like a king standing up from his grand throne, prideful of his victory, taking the time to identify his opponents.

"Hayama Koutarou. _Raiju._ "

"Mibuchi Reo. _Yaksha._ "

"Nebuya Eikichi. _Goriki._ "

The three of them tensed, seemingly unable to move. "Who do you know our names? More importanly, who are you?" Reo demanded an answer.

"I'm Akashi Seijuro, and I have a proposition to you." he paused for a minute, making sure he had their full attention. "I'm here to drag you away from the shadows, and bring you to the world of day."

It was the craziest declaration they ever heard.

 **(chapter end)**

Apologies for the long procrastination on this! I'm a terrible person and truly ashamed of myself. But you should know two things about me and writing, one, I don't have an established writing style, two I'm terrible at writing fighting scenes in detail. But I beat myself to it, and here it is, only a few hours before the last episode.

*My attempt at doing a verbal pun. Akashi's name is written as **赤司** and made it as **赤** **死** my kanji isn't that good so I might be mistaken.

Akashi I'm so sorry about what I did to your left eye! I can't guarantee it'll be rendered useless, but its colour will alter. (I've read somewhere severe injuries can cause colour change? Let's pretend it does, if it doesn't work like that.)

What Akashi wants from Rakuzan's Unkrowned Kings? Well, that's for me to know, for now at least. However, I can assure you that they're not doing bad things in what Akashi calls "world of day". Legal stuff. No killings. Akashi-sama has a name to uphold in human society.

Also, me and my dearest friend Shadow, exceeded our goal of 100 AUs so I was thinking... Would you like me to start a new "story" and gather them all there? Some of them are written already, like one-shots for each, or a bunch of collected drabbles... Let me know!


	9. 8: A New Arrival

"So, Kagami-kun, right?" Aida Riko, coordinator of the Seirin Investigation group asked. "What's your reason for wanting to join us?"

"Nothing, really." He replied. "I just want to continue doing what I did before."

"Hmmm…." She muttered. "I think you'd make a good pair with Kuroko-kun."

"Kuroko…-kun?"

Hyuuga nodded. "Kuroko Tetsuya. He joined three years ago, but never partnered up with anyone while here for more than a month. He works well with others, though."

"And he's previous partner, before he came here…" Furihata muttered. "He was scary."

"Eh?"

"Kuroko was in Teikou Special Course. The Special Course, it's a cruel thing to go through. Many groups want a member of the Teikou elite to join them. Our own team isn't as old as others but, Kuroko came and joined us. His partner in Teikou came here with him, talked with us and then left."

"If the people on that 'special course' are strong, then why did they have partners?"

"Because they are children. Teikou High doesn't give birth to investigators, but soldiers. Those who survive both training and fighting… They can be called monsters, in a sense."

"What about his partner?"

"He said he couldn't stay in Tokyo anymore, so he had to join one of the groups here. They seemed really close. If I didn't know better, I'd say they were relatives or something." Riko added, leaving.

"Wait, where is she going?" Kagami yelled.

"On a date."

"Wait, seriously?"

"We devote our lives to what we do, but that doesn't mean we cut ourselves from the rest. Everyone needs a sense of normalcy. Besides, we're located in one of most peaceful areas of Tokyo." A new voice replied.

Kagami screamed and turned around, to locate the origin of the voice. "Who are you, and how long have you been there?"

"From the moment Teikou was mentioned." The other replied.

"Ah, Kuroko!" Hyuuga smiled at the newcomer. "This is Kagami Taiga. From today on, he'll be your new partner."

Kagami and Kuroko observed each other. Kagami couldn't make out much out of the shorter male's expressionless face. He looked much like a child, with his small, lean frame and pale skin, baby blue eyes and hair of the same shade. He had heard that Teikou was located on what was perhaps the most dangerous area of the metropolis, and how could someone like Kuroko survive in a place like that, was beyond him.

Then he remembered his so-called partner. He must be some short of monster, then. That, or Kuroko had some kind of a special talent.

Kuroko then allowed himself a small upward curving of his lips. "I'm in your hands then, Kagami-kun."

Yes. Definitely his partner.

Kuroko took Kagami's hand and lead him outside.

"Wait, where are we going?" he asked.

"I thought Kagami-kun maybe wanted to know more about me… So I thought we could talk over some coffee, perhaps?" he offered.

"Sure, why not?" was Kagami's reluctant reply.

Without any other word, Kuroko led the way to a nearby café, entering first. "It's really popular for its quality and prices," he explained, "so it's often busy." There was an empty table close to the entrance, so he prompted the taller youth to sit there.

Kuroko had ordered a vanilla milkshake (as always, but Kagami didn't know that, yet), and the returnee asked for the strongest coffee available. They enjoyed the silence for a while, until Kagami decided he, _indeed_ , wanted and needed to know his new partner better.

"So, uhh, Kuroko…" Kagami attempted to initiate conversation. "How is life in Tokyo?"

Kuroko seemed to be in deep thought for a moment. "Ordinary."

"Eh?"

"It's not different than any other place with high ghoul activity." Kuroko explained. "Kagami-kun, you came from the States, right? How was it there?"

"It's quiet, I guess. From what I hear, things are wild here."

"You don't have to reply but… What made you come, then?"

Kagami's fingers were clenched into a fist. "My parents. They came to Japan a few years back, and they were killed by ghouls. I'm here because I want revenge; this is why I'm following the same path they did in their lives."

 _It couldn't be…_

Kagami took out of this pocket a pair of photographs. The one pictured two boys smiling on the camera, and a lean, blonde woman with a charming smile. The other portrayed a couple, distantly similar to the returnee's appearance.

 _No way…_

Kuroko remembered those two. He remembered every single person he had encountered in his life, more so if he had witnessed them die, no matter if he was the one to kill them or not. And he remembers those two well.

 _For a fleeting moment, he sees it happening in front of his eyes; he thinks it's Midorima who does the act, still merciful, even all that negativity that has gathered inside him._

"Kuroko!" Kagami tries, and manages to make him return to reality, to now. "Something wrong?"

The shorter shook his head. "Nothing, just… I thought I've seen them before, for a glimpse of the eye." he lied. "I apologize."

"It's fine." the other replied. "I'm sure you've lost some of your own loved ones."

"You can say that…" Kuroko muttered. "I lost my friends."

Kagami threw a questioning look.

"Ah, no, not that way." Kuroko was quick to add. "We just drifted apart from one another. We used to be inseparable as a team, now we're more like rivals. It's fine, as long as they're still alive and well." he concluded, and his new partner decided it was better if he didn't pry any further, at least for now.

 **(Chapter End.)**

I have good news! I got a new charger *does the happy dance*. The bad news, well, I don't have my tablet anymore, I think I've trashed it completely. And I had some precious sheet music saved there, not to mention a couple of funny apps! *cries eternally*

Anyways, to more story-related things. We're one or two years forward in the story, where Kagami returns to Japan (and soon, Himuro will follow, as well!), meets with Kuroko, and are forced into partnership. Kuroko is a bit vague about things, he's not willing to trust easy anyone anymore. Everyone has their own issues, and I really hope the next few chapters will focus on Seirin.

If everyone's interested in my AU collection/challenge, you can PM me, or check knbau-library on tumblr. Thank you and have a nice day!


	10. 9: Roar of the Fire God

_It's a nightmare. It has to be one._

 _He reads the names on the gravestones again and again._

 _Kagami Soubi and Kagami Rin._

 _He screams. He cries._

 _He wakes up._

The nightmare persists and Taiga decides to drop out of high school at the age of 16. He spends night and day training with his guardian, Alex, and adoptive brother, Tatsuya. Two years later, at age 18, he roams the country as a ghoul hunter, even though there aren't as many ghouls around there. The nightmares stop for a while.

It starts again when he reaches 21. The nightmare has changed. Now he's there when it happens. He sees a faceless ghoul ripping apart those two important people to him. He screams, he tries to defend them, but, as it happens in most dreams, he can't do anything but scream.

He decides it's time for him to leave for Japan. He wants to find that ghoul more than anything. Revenge clouds his mind and, not matter what Alex or Tatsuya say, he's not listening.

He finds himself in Tokyo, walking down on Seirin's gates. When he learns the methods the people there use, he wants to leave and never look back, because Seirin's philosophy doesn't suit him, far from it. It's not late to try and see if he's accepted to Toou, there's a high probability they'll take him – _probability_ being the keyword– but the people are determined to keep him. They even assign him a partner.

 _Kuroko Tetsuya_ is far from what Kagami had imagined for a partner. He's just so painfully small and _**weak**_ , he can't help but think of him of someone he needs to protect.

It doesn't take much time for Kuroko to reveal his true abilities; he might not have been as physically strong as others, but his talents rested on stealth and espionage, both fields which he excelled at.

Kagami wants to hear stories about Kuroko's time in Teikou, but Kuroko refuses, most of the time. However, when he does, Kagami finds himself excited and mortified by the practices taking place in the supposed safe and prestigious Teikou Academy.

One example is when he hears from Kuroko that there were ghouls that attended Teikou, being let there on purpose. The students participating on the 'Special Course', like Kuroko, had to find them and eliminate them before it was too late. Sometimes, innocents died, being thought to be ghouls, but everyone simply shrugged it off, whenever it happened. Teikou was never involved in name. After all, the only rule that applied was to _not kill anyone on school grounds._

Kagami wonders if Kuroko ever killed someone innocent, so hesitantly, he asks. Kuroko replies that no, neither he or his former teammates ever made a mistake like that. They're not simply skilled at the act of killing; they have good observational skills and instincts. They work hard for it, least they become the victims and get killed.

He then asks if Kuroko was ever accused of being a ghoul; to his horror, the shorter male replies that yes, he's been accused, and in multiple occasions. There were times it was just whispers, others it was in front of his face. They wonder, who someone so small and weak as Kuroko could be one of the top students. The accusations often were aimed at their Captain, claiming that the other boy was simply protecting 'one weaker of their wretched kind'.

He's left awed when he hears Kuroko saying that their former Captain is as skilled with words as with a Quinque, if not even more dangerous. 'A tongue that possesses no bones, yet can break them'. It didn't help in any way to quell the rumours; he was seen as an even scarier person.

It's those moments that make Kagami think if humans are as kind-hearted as he wanted to think they are. Many of them are ugly, so _ugly_ , but he has hope. There are kind humans he knows; there's Alex and Tatsuya, there's Kuroko and the others in Seirin, and he's convinced he'll meet even more people like that.

What Kagami is more curious about is the reason Kuroko was separated from his teammates. It could be something serious, like some sort of disagreement. Kuroko calms him down, and claims it was a decision they took together. They were strong, indeed, but if each one took their own way and joined a different team, they could help in a different way. It's better to have five strong teams in existence, than one overpowered and five average. Charizard syndrome never helped anyone.

He learns Kuroko has lost his family a while ago. His mother died in an accident, his stepmother due to decease. His father was murdered just a few years back. Kuroko claimed that his father wasn't alive, but simply existing after his mother died.

 _ **(What Kagami is unaware of is that Kuroko's parents never married; he's a bastard. The one he refers to as 'step-mother' actually died two years before his mother. She's the woman his father was forced to marry. Despite that, he doesn't loathe her; because she's the mother of his half-brother who, even though he was older by exactly 43 days, was something closer to a parent when their father wasn't there for them.)**_

Kagami feels Kuroko hero-worships his former Captain. Kuroko doesn't deny, nor affirms it. He does state, however, that in the off-chance he requests for his, and their former teammates' presence, they won't deny him.

Kagami grunts as such response, and deems the unnamed person a dictator. Kuroko objects that he'd never pursue such course of actions if he didn't deem it necessary. He's a man of reason and he's proven to them, countless times now, that he cares for their well-being. He even claims that, their former leader could prefer to set the world ablaze than watch them suffer. He reprimands him for claiming someone could go to such extremes, to which Kuroko lowers his head and apologizes.

What Kagami doesn't understand is Kuroko's motivations. That the shorter wanted was something unattainable: humans and ghouls co-existing. Kagami believes that's something that can never be achieved; Kuroko disagrees. Both are too stubborn, which could have made them unable to cooperate as partners properly.

Kuroko promises Kagami that it's going to happen. Kagami only wishes he could be even a bit little more optimistic, like Kuroko was.

After all, there isn't any greater gift than peace.

 **(chapter end)**

Finally! I'll have you know, I've been trying to work on this chapter by July 31st, which makes it almost two months already. I had no idea where _exactly_ I wanted this chapter to end up, but I did it.

Today, September 24th, is the second day I have no internet connection. From the time being, I'm updating at home and posting whenever I visit friends, which I thank for allowing me using their internet for such purposes. And I have lost contact with almost all my friends. Apparently, I spend too much time sitting on a computer (attention: on computer, which hell, I'm not using a computer, it's a goddamn laptop, there's a difference), so my punishment is an unpaid telephone bill and no internet connection for who knows how long. There _have_ been threats flying around for an unpaid electricity bill, but that's perhaps a bit too extreme.

Anyways, enough of my troubles, enjoy the update. If you have any questions, feel free to ask, just don't expect a quick reply. I'm sorry for that!


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